(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) BRUSSELS, Oct 2 (KUNA) -- French President Emmanuel Macron affirmed on Thursday that EU countries must be "tougher" in confronting Russian drone threats, stressing that any drone violating European airspace "can be destroyed immediately" and that "this decision is settled."
In his remarks at the European leaders' meeting in the Danish capital Copenhagen, Macron said, "It's very important to have a clear message. Drones which would violate our territories are just taking a big risk. They can be destroyed, full stop."
He added that Europe must intensify its efforts to counter what is known as the "shadow fleet" of ageing oil tankers, which the EU says Moscow uses to circumvent sanctions.
Macron explained, "It is extremely important to increase the pressure on this shadow fleet, because it will clearly reduce the capacity to finance this war effort."
The President pointed out that France this week detained one of the blacklisted tankers linked to Russia, stressing that such measures "kill the business model Moscow relies on" and force it to "reorganize itself in ways that inflict losses and weaken its ability to finance the war."
Macron noted that Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" includes around 1,000 ships and is estimated to represent "tens of billions of euros of Russia's budget and up to 40 percent of its war effort."
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned European leaders that recent drone incidents across Europe were a "clear sign" of Moscow's intent to escalate its aggression.
Zelensky said, "The recent drone incidents across Europe are a clear sign that Russia still feels bold enough to escalate this war. It was never just about Ukraine, Russia has always aimed to break the West and Europe."
He added, "If the Russians dare to launch drones against Poland, or violate the airspace of northern European countries, it means this can happen anywhere."
The Ukrainian leader affirmed his country's readiness to share its war-time expertise with European partners, saying, "We are ready to share this experience with our partners." (end)
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